| affront |
something that is said or done on purpose to be rude or mean. |
| alimony |
money that a court orders one member of a divorced couple to pay to the other. |
| aloft |
high above the ground. |
| castigation |
the act of rebuking, severely criticizing, or punishing, especially in a public forum. |
| embellishment |
a beautifying decoration or addition. |
| insular |
closed to new ideas; narrow-minded. |
| laudable |
worthy of praise. |
| overt |
openly apparent; not concealed. (Cf. covert.) |
| pollinate |
to move or carry pollen to a plant, causing the seeds to be fertilized. |
| rejoinder |
a response to a reply; retort. |
| retraction |
a withdrawal or disavowal of an opinion, promise, or the like. |
| rite |
a formal ceremonial procedure prescribed or customary for a specific occasion, as in religious worship. |
| simultaneous |
existing, happening, or done at the same time. |
| verity |
the quality or condition of being true or real. |
| wizened |
shriveled or dried up. |